


The Bodyguard and the Blibbering Humdinger

by ANGSWIN



Category: Daredevil (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, First Meetings, Magical Creatures, Pre-Relationship, Twist on "Bodyguard" Trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-22 21:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANGSWIN/pseuds/ANGSWIN
Summary: Luna meets the Devil of Hell's Kitchen when she accidentally follows a magical creature into his territory.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Matt Murdock
Comments: 17
Kudos: 75
Collections: Marvelously Magical Bingo 2019, Tropes & Fandoms 2020





	The Bodyguard and the Blibbering Humdinger

**Author's Note:**

> Written to serve double duty for the  
>  **2020 Tropes & Fandoms challenge**  
> Square: 67/Regular  
> Trope: Bodyguard  
>  **2019 Marvelously Magical Bingo challenge**  
>  Square: I3 - Prompt: Luna Lovegood

Luna had always loved New York. As a child, she had visited there often with the Scamander family – especially since they were all related on her father’s side. In fact, Newt Scamander was the primary reason that the Lovegoods were so interested in rare magical creatures in the first place. He had introduced them to the joy of magizoology. 

In particular, Luna enjoyed spending time with his grandson…and her cousin…Rolf. They had grown up together, and they still enjoyed each other’s company as adults. Therefore, in the years since they had graduated from Hogwarts, they had joined forces to write several books about both magizoology and cryptomagizoology. Consequently, Luna often visited the States (in general) and New York (in particular) with Rolf because that was where the Wizarding Publishing Firm that they utilized was located. Plus, they both knew that there was a variety of interesting creatures there that one just could not find in England.

~~~~~

It was on one such visit that Luna expressed the desire to take an evening walk to see if there would be any nocturnal magical creatures out and about. Rolf, who was deep into editing the material for their new children’s reference book, declined to join her and decided to stay at their hotel, but felt the need to give her a warning anyway.

“Just be careful, Little Luna. We are close to Hell’s Kitchen here, which is not known for being the nicest of places – even during the day,” he admonished. “I’ve even heard rumors that it has become the stomping ground for a demon.”

“A demon, Rolfie?” she asked, using her childhood nickname for him as her eyes lit up in interest. “How intriguing! However, I do have my wand…and you know that I can take care of myself.” After all, she had once been on the front lines of a war…and her skills had only grown more impressive since then. “And stop calling me _little._ After all, you are the younger cousin!” With that firm reminder, she gave him a friendly little peck on the cheek before she skipped out into the cool night air.

The witch had only taken a few steps when she heard the strange little humming sound that came from beneath a nearby bush. When Luna bent cautiously over to see what it was, she heard a “pop” and saw nothing but an empty space. She was extremely disappointed, but she just shrugged and continued her stroll. However, just a few feet away, she heard the humming sound again…and she received the exact same result when she went to look for it. Once she got too close, there was another “pop”…and the delightful little sound was gone. 

Luna experimented by trying to replicate the hum and she was rewarded by an echo just a few feet away. By now, Luna was sure that she knew the identity of the mysterious creature. It had to be a Blibbering Humdinger! For just a moment, she thought about fetching Rolf so that she and her cousin could find it together, but she was too impatient…and she did not want to take the chance that it could get away completely. After all, she had never actually seen one before – except in pictures.

Therefore, she thought about what she knew about them. Blibbering Humdingers were known for the humming sound that they made, as well as for being small and defenseless. Consequently, they were easy prey for larger creatures, both magical and mundane. Fortunately, they had a built-in survival mechanism that let them perform an instinctive type of short range apparation to allow them to safely flee from immediate danger to a location about four feet away. 

_That’s what this one is doing._ Luna thought excitedly. _It’s afraid of me now…but let’s see if I can get it to change its mind. Oh, I do so long to see one up close!_

It was then that Luna began to engage in a kind of musical “hide and seek” game with the mysterious little creature. She would hum and it would respond. When she got too close, it would “hide” again…and she would hum again to “seek” it until it gave away its hiding spot one more time. They did this over and over again…and Luna was having so much fun that she did not realize how far she had traveled away from the hotel. In fact, it was not until she saw the spray-painted graffiti splashed across a wall that she knew exactly where she had ended up. After all, it clearly said “Hell’s Kitchen” in ominous jagged red lettering. Luna, however, just shrugged at the sight and continued on her quest.

~~~~~

Matt had experienced a slow night. Apparently, for once, crime had taken the night off in Hell’s Kitchen. He knew that he should be thankful for such a blessing. However, as he stood there, on the roof of a building in his Daredevil persona, he surveyed the domain below with his special senses only to realize that he was mainly bored instead. After all, he was so used to the constant adrenaline surge of his double life and secret identity that things just did not feel right without it. However, that boredom ceased abruptly when he heard a distinctive feminine voice from quite a distance away.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” the woman said playfully before she started to hum.

The humming continued off and on for quite a while until the woman finally came into the line of his special kind of _sight._ Then, even Matt could tell that she was such a delicate little thing that it was likely that a strong wind would blow her over. Yet, she continued to roam the streets and alleys of Hell’s Kitchen, just humming away and completely oblivious to the possible dangers around her. Therefore, Matt had to assume that she was what the Sisters at Saint Agnes would have called “simple” or “touched by God.” He sighed since he knew that he was going to have to somehow get her home safely. After all, he just could not leave her on the dark streets by herself. Maybe he could find Officer Mahoney on patrol and turn the responsibility over to him instead.

For the time being, however, Matt decided to just follow the woman’s progress from his high vantage point as he hoped that she was simply on her way home and would arrive at her destination at any moment. Then he would not have to act, and risk giving away any of his secrets. Hence, he perched in the shadows on the edge of the building and waited.

Nevertheless, as the woman drew closer to his location, he could see that there was something very different about her. In fact, her _fire_ burned brighter than anyone’s he had ever seen before…and it subtly changed colors, as well. He just did not know what to make of it – especially when she paused as she was right beneath him, looked up, murmured something about “Rolf’s demon,” and waved cheerfully before she resumed her humming and moved on.

 _What?_ Matt thought in a bit of shock _. How did she see me? Why wasn’t she more surprised…or scared? Perhaps she really is touched by God in a way that has nothing to do with being simple after all!_ Now, boredom forgotten, and even more intrigued than before, Matt ran across the rooftop in order to keep up with the humming figure down below. He lost sight of her for just a moment when he had to navigate the open space from one roof to the next, only to come to an abrupt stop after he made the long jump, when he realized that she was no longer alone on the street below. Instead, he could make out the distinct fires of six different males around her. 

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” he heard her cry out in a voiced laced with considerable irritation, but surprisingly no fear whatsoever. “You’ve made me lose it now…and I have been following it forever!”

A couple of the men made crude replies as they advanced towards her, but she still did not move to run away…not even when Matt dropped silently down behind them where she could clearly see him. _Perhaps she is simple after all,_ he thought with some exasperation before he gave her clear instructions to "Run!" while he took out the man closest to him first.

She did not listen, however, and he saw the two closest men grab her before the rest closed in around him. He worked quickly to put his remaining three out of commission so that he could rescue her. However, right after he dispatched the last one, he realized that he heard nothing but the city sounds in the background. He quickly looked up then to see the woman’s unique fiery signature lean casually up against the wall as she twirled some kind of stick between her fingers. Two ordinary fires lay motionless at her feet. 

“What did you do?” he croaked gruffly in surprise.

“The same as you, Mr. Demon,” she replied in a soft and sweet British-accented voice that somehow soothed Matt’s jagged nerves and caused his muscles to relax a bit – in spite of himself. “I just put them to sleep. After all, I’m sure it must have been their bedtime – especially with all of the crude bedroom references that they were sending my way.” She just sighed and shook her head before her focus narrowed and her tone grew serious. “Oh, dear! You’re hurt!” she exclaimed. 

It was only then that Matt felt the trickle of blood down his cheek and the pain in the center of his face. One of his opponents must have broken his nose despite the built in guard on his suit. 

“It’s nothing,” he insisted. After all, it was not the first time he had experienced a broken nose…and he was positive that it would not be the last one either. However, the woman completely disregarded his statement and moved closer anyway.

“Hush and be still,” she commanded softly. “This will just take a moment, at any rate.” She then raised her stick and, for one strange second, Matt thought that she was going to hit him with it. Just as he prepared to dodge, however, she gave it a little wave…and said the word _Episkey_ in a very clear and strong tone. All at once, Matt could have sworn that he felt the torn cartilage knit back together painlessly…and when he touched it, he realized that his nose felt straighter than it had been in years – ever since he broke it the first time as a child when he started training with Stick.

“Wh…what did you do?” he could not help but to ask again, even though he hated how unsure he sounded in the process.

The woman did not seem to notice his tone, though…or she just did not care. “I fixed it,” she answered simply. “It was the least I could do after you stepped in to help me like that…despite all of the wrackspurts that were around. Thank you for your assistance, by the way. It was unnecessary, of course…but your actions were appreciated all the same.”

Even though he did not understand what _wrackspurts_ were, Matt was beginning to realize that the woman in front of him was definitely neither as delicate nor as simple as he first suspected her to be. The “touched by God” part was debatable, however. Touched in what way, though, was still the question – especially since it seemed as if she had healed him by… His thoughts trailed off when she answered for him.

“Yes! It _was_ magic!” she answered as if she could read his thoughts. “But don’t worry, Mr. Demon...it was the good kind.” She paused as she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. “In fact, here comes the proof of that now!” she explained cheerfully. 

Matt turned as well, and a pure white fire, similar to the one that made up the woman herself, filled his vision. He did not know why, but it made him feel odd, but in a good and happy kind of way. As he watched, the shifting glowing patterns slowly took the shape of some kind of fiery lizard or salamander. That was strange enough, but then it opened its mouth and spoke in the voice of an obviously worried man.

“Luna, are you alright? You have been gone forever! You didn’t end up in Hell’s Kitchen, did you? I knew I shouldn’t have told you about that demon bloke. By Merlin, that probably just intrigued you more, didn’t it? At any rate, if you don’t send back a message with my patronus immediately, I’m coming after you.”

Matt watched as the woman, whose name was apparently Luna, sighed before she shook her head as she addressed the creature…whatever it was. “Yes, little Rolfie. I’m in Hell’s Kitchen and I actually followed a Blibbering Humdinger here. Can you believe it? Please don’t worry about me, though. I’m actually with Mr. Demon, as well, because he helped me out with a little problem. Now, I just going to help him get home safely…and have a cup of tea with him…” here she paused to look at Matt. “You do have tea, don’t you?” When he nodded in a bewildered kind of way at his absolute loss of control over the situation, she turned back at the glowing creature and continued her message. 

“Then I will apparate right back to the hotel. I promise. Therefore, go on to bed…or go down to the bar to flirt with that cute waitress who winked at you earlier, because you just never know. At any rate, I’ll meet you in the morning for breakfast. Okay, little cousin of mine?” Then she swished her stick as if to end the message. The creature then turned and, for lack of a better word, _ran_ through the cool night air before it disappeared at the corner.

“That’s impossible. Magic does not exist.” Matt stated firmly…as if he was trying to convince himself.

“So says the blind demon with a heart of gold in a world on fire,” Luna mused in a dreamy tone.

That statement startled Matt with its accuracy. “How did you…” he faltered.

“Know?” Luna finished for him and he nodded. “It is my personal magic,” she explained. “Sometimes I just _see_ things. It was a gift that was handed down from my mother’s side of the family and…” she was interrupted by a light humming sound. “Oh, it’s back,” she said wonderingly. 

Matt could see her particular fire flare in changing colors at the emotion of her discovery…and he could not help but to think that it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever _seen._ Then she took him by the hand and he realized that his fire sight was not his only intensified sense at the moment as her touch made his skin tingle – almost as if in anticipation. 

“Do you hear it? I think that it was attracted by Rolf’s patronus,” she whispered as the humming sound manifested nearby again and Matt could not help but to remember how he heard Luna humming long before he _saw_ her. Therefore, she must have been following this particular creature. 

_What did she call it again? A humming blibdinger?_

“I am going to cast one myself to see if will come even closer,” Luna whispered close to his ear and the sensation made him shiver. 

_What is she doing to me?_ he wondered before he was distracted by the swift movement of her stick again. _Could that really be a magic wand?_ he marveled. 

Then he heard her say the words, _“Expecto Patronum,”_ and suddenly there was another pure white creature of light before him. This one, however, was rabbit-shaped, and he noticed that he felt that unexpected surge of happiness again…only this time, it was even stronger than before.

“It’s working!” she trilled happily herself and, sure enough, he could hear the humming sound getting closer and closer until a little weight appeared right into the hand that she still held. Apparently they were the co-holders of a…

“Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!” Luna said in a breathy whisper full of wonder. “They are so rare…and delicate…and I am so happy to have finally met one.” As she spoke, Matt noticed that her fire flared again with her emotions as she stroked the small creature. Out of curiosity, he let the fingers of his own free hand trail lightly over it, as well. It seemed to be similar in size and shape to a sparrow or another type of small bird – except for the fact that it did not have wings and was covered in fur, instead! It was quite amazing, and he could feel his mouth stretch into a smile in spite of his mask.

After the little creature had its fill of being petted, it gave one last hum of pleasure before it suddenly just disappeared. Matt noticed that its fire had completely blinked out, but Luna did not seem to be worried at all.

“It must have been his bedtime, too,” she commented with a little laugh. “Now…about that cup of tea,” she suggested. 

“We’ll have to go back to my loft,” he answered without hesitation – even as he wondered what in Heaven’s name he was doing. Only Foggy, Claire, and Father Lantom knew about his dual identities. Oddly enough, though, he did not feel any real doubt about adding Luna to that group. Somehow, he knew that he could trust her. Even though he still was not sure about magic (It was something that he would definitely have to discuss with Father Lantom later), the experiences with the Blibbering Humdinger and the creatures of pure white fire had proven to him there was more to life than he knew. It was an exciting thought…and so was the sudden knowledge that he wanted to get to know the woman better, as well.

“I usually travel across the rooftops, though,” he finally explained to her, “since it’s not a good idea to let anyone see me like this.” He pointed at his outfit. 

Luna nodded in understanding, and just as suddenly as the little creature had, she disappeared, too. Matt looked around wildly for her presence.

“Well, what’s taking you so long, Mr. Demon?” Her voice suddenly called down to him from up above.

Matt whipped his head to look in that direction, and sure enough, Luna’s unique fiery signature was there, perched on the top edge of the adjacent building. 

“How in the world…?” he began to ask before he answered his own question. “She's just going to say that it was magic, of course,” he murmured before he climbed up to join her there.

~~~~~

They proceeded to race across the rooftops. Matt jumped, climbed, and ran while Luna advanced in short distance bursts of her special kind of so-called magical travel that she told him was _apparating._ When Matt finally pointed out the roof of his building about a block away from their last pause, Luna surprised him by grabbing him around the waist and taking him with her on the last jump. Just a second later, when he found himself next to his roof access, and feeling like he had been sucked through a long tube, he was forced to finally admit the truth.

“Magic is real!” he croaked out. Luna just smiled mysteriously. 

~~~~~

“Nice place, Mr. Demon,” she commented a few minutes later when they had finally entered his home. 

Matt paused for just a moment before he trustingly pulled off his mask (After all, she already knew where he lived!) and turned to face her. “Why do you call me a demon?” he asked, curious since she had been doing it all night. 

She walked over close to him and gently stroked one finger down his newly uncovered and straightened nose affectionately. “Isn’t that what you are dressed as?” she asked, her own voice laden with curiosity as she withdrew her hand.

“It’s supposed to be a devil,” he answered a bit petulantly, even as he shivered at her touch again. “You know…as in Dare _devil_ …or the _Devil_ of Hell’s Kitchen...to strike fear in the hearts of wrong-doers.”

Luna just shrugged. “I like Mr. Demon better,” she answered. 

He could not stop the bark of laughter that left him at that point. “Well…what about Matt?” he asked.

“Matt will work,” she answered thoughtfully with a nod right before she leaned in to kiss his now bare cheek. “As long as you call me Luna, that is. Now…Matt…I do believe that you owe me a cup of tea?” she asked pointedly. “After all, I upheld my part of the bargain by getting you home safely.”

“You did make a very good bodyguard,” he replied with a smirk, "especially given the fact that I wasn’t attacked once. Not unless you count that situation at the end when I was obviously kidnapped by a…well…”

“Witch,” she filled in the blank for him. 

“Witch.” The word rubbed strangely against his Catholic background (and once again he vowed to talk to the Father about it). However, Matt did not let the label trouble him. After all, he had already decided to trust the woman. Therefore, he nodded amiably as he went to prepare her drink…only to realize that the box of the requested herbal beverage was completely empty. He tried to offer her some coffee…or even a beer…instead, but she declined politely.

“It’s probably just as well,” she answered. “It's getting late, and I really do need to get back to the hotel, because Rolf and I have an early meeting with our publisher in the morning.”

Matt felt a hot, uncharacteristic flare of jealousy at the other man’s name until he remembered that she had identified him as “cousin” earlier. At any rate, that thought, and all other thoughts really, were driven completely out of his mind when Luna leaned in to kiss him again. This time, however, her lips met his, and he eagerly responded to the gesture.

His disappointment was absolute, then, when she gently pulled away from him. “We’ll see each other again soon,” she promised before she stepped back and apparated away. Matt felt the loss of her warm presence immediately and he could tell, even without sight, that his loft was a lot darker without her unique fiery signature in it.

* * *

It had been several weeks, but Matt had not been able to get Luna out of his mind since that night. He had even had a very enlightening conversation with Father Lantom about her. It had taken a very surprising turn, though - especially considering some of the Church’s history against witchcraft - when the man told him all about his brother…who had left at the age of eleven to go and study at a magical school, as well! That information had relieved Matt’s mind completely of any leftover conflict about religion and magic…and he found himself eager to see Luna again and to tell her about what he had discovered, as well. 

After all, she had said that they would see each other again. 

However, she had disappeared so quickly that night that he had not had a chance to ask how to contact her…and so he had no way to find her, either. After all, he did not even know her last name! As the time passed, though, he had to finally assume that she had gone back to England for good without contacting him again. He was disappointed, but he buried those feelings, and went back to his double life…fighting crime in every way he knew how. He tried to forget all about the fascinating witch he had met, but it was hard to do since Matt even occasionally thought that he heard a sweet little humming sound in the background of his thoughts – just like the one from the creature they had encountered together that night. 

Nevertheless, his decision to move on made his surprise all the greater on the day that he, Foggy, and Karen were exiting the courthouse after a session about a minor case. 

“Hello, Mr. Demon.” He heard a very distinctively dreamy voice say. “Look at you. You certainly do clean up well!”

His head swiveled automatically in her direction and he saw the intense flickering fires of the woman who had been in his thoughts for weeks.

“Luna,” he breathed, even as he could feel Foggy and Karen look at him curiously. “What are you doing here?” 

“Our publisher needed one of us on hand for a while, but Rolf had business in England…so I volunteered! I may have had a bit of another motive, though.” She paused to smile at him. “At any rate, I thought about waiting for you at your flat. No. What did you call it…a loft? However, then I remembered that you didn’t have any tea there.”

“I stocked up,” he assured her.

“Did you now?” she replied with pleasure before she continued. “At any rate, you will never guess who…or what…led me here to find you.”

“The Blibbering Humdinger?” Matt asked in surprise. 

Luna nodded happily. “I guess that he sort of imprinted on us. I didn't realize that they could do that, but he met me as soon as I entered Hell’s Kitchen and directed me here. He got scared and disappeared, though, once everyone started to leave that building.” She gestured toward the courthouse.

“So that really _is_ what I have been hearing,” Matt murmured.

“Yes. He likes you. So do I, by the way." She paused to smile...and Matt did the same - especially when she reached up to run her finger along his nose just like she had done that night. The unique tingling sensation was the same as he remembered, too...and he liked it. 

"I’m so sorry that it took so long to contact you, though," she continued, "but I suddenly got called back to England early for the birth of my sweet new little goddaughter, Lily _Luna._ Obviously I had to spend some time with her, but I hurried back as soon I could wrap things up there. Consequently, I’m here for the foreseeable future.” 

Before Matt could respond to that intriguing comment, though, Foggy broke in on what he considered to be the strangest conversation that he had ever heard. He even briefly considered that Matt might need rescuing from a psychotic stalker or old flame. However, the mooning look on his friend's face soon told him otherwise. Matt was completely smitten by this woman!

“Don’t you want to introduce us to your friend, Matt?” he finally asked.

“What?” Matt had all but forgotten that he and Luna were not alone. “Oh, yes, right, um…Luna, this is my best friend and law partner, Foggy…and our friend and associate, Karen. Guys, this is Luna.” He paused before he added deviously, “She’s my bodyguard.”

Luna just laughed merrily at the description before she looked even closer at the two people who were obviously Matt’s friends, as well - despite their immediate confusion. “Have you two thought about becoming a couple?" she asked with genuine interest. "You really should since you have matching auras, you know! Plus, there are no wrackspurts between you when you are together. Therefore, you’re perfect for each other!” She smiled sincerely at their surprise before she turned her attention back to Matt.

“Are you ready, Mr. Demon? You still owe me some tea…and then I can’t wait to see you out of _this_ suit, too.”

Matt looked at her fiery figure again in surprise at the unexpected direction that the conversation had taken. Luna just giggled lightly, though, and shrugged. “Didn’t I tell you that I just know some things? 

Foggy made a strangled sound behind him at her obvious meaning and Matt just gaped at her until he found his voice, as well. “That sounds like a very good idea," he croaked. 

“It will be,” she replied confidently and took his hand. 

Matt felt another unexpected fire flare within himself. Therefore...for the second time during their acquaintance...he told her to run. This time she actually listened.

~~~~~

Foggy and Karen watched them go with identical looks of confusion on their faces. 

“What in the world do you think that was all about?” Karen finally asked, but Foggy just shook his head. He had no idea what had just happened, but he would definitely be demanding some answers from Matt later, however. 

“Why would she call him Mr. Demon?” she continued.

This time, however, Foggy did know the answer. Nevertheless, he just shrugged as he told a little white fib. After all, he knew that it was too dangerous for Karen to know Matt’s real secret, even though he had no idea how this Luna woman had found out about it. After all, Matt had not told him _anything_ about her. 

“I don’t know that, either," he answered. "Maybe it’s some kind of weird private joke or word play on Matt _Damon?”_ That actually made sense, he realized as he looked towards the direction in which the couple had already disappeared. 

When he focused his attention back on his remaining companion, though, he suddenly found his thoughts on a very different path that did not include Matt, at all. He thought instead about the possibilities of matching auras…and the reasons why none of his other romantic relationships had ever seemed to work out in the past. He also knew without a doubt that Karen had been a really good friend to him. 

_Could she be more? Could we be more?_ he could not help but to wonder. After a moment of internal agonizing, he decided to just go for it. 

“How would you like to join me for a cup of tea…or coffee…or beer…or _anything?”_ he finally asked hopefully.

Karen paused to look at him closely as some of the same thoughts that he had experienced flew through her mind, as well. “We’ll see,” she finally answered, but she softened the statement with a warm smile that let him know that she had come to the same conclusions that he had, as well.

“That works for me,” Foggy said honestly and he grinned at her as he took her hand, tucked it into the crook of his arm, and led her away in the opposite direction that Matt and his obviously-more-than-just-a-friend had taken earlier. 


End file.
